


Come fly with me

by notquiteascrazy



Series: SH Bingo Fills [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Crack, Definitely not treated seriously, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, I know nothing about birds, M/M, Macaw!malec, Meet-Cute, Sort Of, Tags Are Hard, Wingfic, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27067153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notquiteascrazy/pseuds/notquiteascrazy
Summary: Alec had never flown for fun… Until the day he met Magnus.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: SH Bingo Fills [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2067408
Comments: 10
Kudos: 41
Collections: SHBingo 20-21





	Come fly with me

**Author's Note:**

> This work was written for SH Bingo 2020-2021 from the Hunters Moon Discord Server.  
> For the Wing Fic square  
> This is probably not quite what people expect when it comes to wing fic, but anyway, this is where we ended up.

Alec was nuzzling at the tufts around his wings with a curved beak, carefully moving a single plume ever so slightly until the bright blue feather was exactly where he wanted it to be. It was a point of pride for him to ensure that he was always well groomed and ready to fly at a moments notice, ready to complete any mission the flock required of him. He was one of the fastest and most accomplished fliers of their group. Well, except maybe Jace. But Jace was always too easily distracted by other birds. Recently he’d been side tracked by a particular Red-fronted Macaw from another flock. Alec’s beaded eyes rolled at how easily she had stolen his brother’s attention.

He was lost in thought, carefully grooming his wings, he didn’t notice the stranger approaching him, soaring through the canopy of trees, until the branch bowed slightly under the additional weight. Turning his head slightly, Alec appraised his new companion. Red feathers accentuated piercing eyes, crowning into a tall crest at the top of his head. Yellow highlights glittered across his back and his wings were tipped with brilliant, glossy blue feathers that made Alec self conscious of his own dull wings by comparison.

“Hi, I’m Magnus,” the newcomer trilled, his voice clear and musical in the quiet of the morning. He nudged at Alec’s wing with the tip of his in greeting. Alec vibrated from the delicate contact, hoping Magnus wouldn’t notice the way the feathers in his neck ruffled from the touch.

“Alec,” he responded shortly, clicking his beak nervously.

“So, where’s fun to fly here?” Magnus asked. “My flock just arrived two days ago and I haven’t had an opportunity to explore yet.”

Alec glanced around the canopy, the light barely breaking through the trees casting an ethereal green glow over the rainforest around them.

“Fun to fly?” He asked.

“Yeah, you know… Beautiful surroundings? Or interesting obstacles to test our agility? Ooooh, any good currents around here to play with?” Magnus’ speech got faster with excitement as he spoke, his wings twitching with the urge to take flight.

“Uh, I guess I don’t really know? I don’t fly much. Not unless I’m working - scouting for food or establishing the perimeter when new flocks arrive.” Alec nudged magnus with the tip of his wing, trying to appear welcoming rather than threatening. He knew he was too duty-bound and bringing up perimeters to a newcomer could set an aggressive tone.

Next to him Magnus clucked fondly, clearly choosing to see the phrasing as a friendly dig and not an actual barb. Alec sighed in relief, until Magnus spoke again.

“Do you really not fly for fun?” he asked, his voice carrying just the slightest tinge of what sounded like pity.

“I’m the patrol lead for my flock, I don’t have time for goofing off,” Alec puffed his yellow chest out with pride.

“Oh Alexander,” Magnus sighed, pausing to check Alec’s response to the extension of his name. When Alec didn’t respond, the other bird continued, “If you only ever fly on missions, then you are missing the pure and inherent joy to be found gliding through the air. We are macaws. We’ve been given the freedom to explore this world from such a wonderful vantage point. Think of the fish, destined to see nothing but water for all their lives. The frogs and the insects, trapped forever on the ground. Even the monkeys are restricted to the very tops of the trees. We, on the other wing, can fly anywhere and see anything. And all you do is fly the perimeter…” Magnus ruffled his feathers, eyes downturned.

Alec felt the weight of his words settling deep within him. Shuffling his feet from side to side he answered, “I guess I never thought of it that way. I was brought up in the flock, my mother is the matriarch you see. She taught me about duty and honor, about how we have to uphold the flock values and ideals, she taught me the skills I needed to see right by my fellow macaws. Taught me to focus only on our birds.”

“When are you next due on patrol?” Magnus asked.

“Not until tomorrow, but there could be an ad hoc mission. I’m also meant to be training some of the fledglings for night flights this evening.” Alec responded, confused by the sudden question.

“Excellent, so you have a few hours. Follow me.”

Without any further explanation, Magnus pushed off from the branch into a nosedive towards the ground, wings pointed up behind him, gracefully twirling as he descended. Alec leaned forward on the branch to watch him, calling out, “Where are you going?”

Just before he hit the muddy floor of the jungle, Magnus pulled out of the dive soaring back upwards, wings barely moving to keep his momentum as he realised Alec hadn’t followed. He swooped in a dramatic loop, travelling a full 360 around the branch Alec was perched on before moving to hover in front of him, wings beating by his sides to keep him level with Alec’s eyeline.

“You’ll never know the joy of flying if you just sit here waiting for your next order, Alexander.” He extended the tip of one wing forward in offering, balancing his movements carefully with the beating of his other wing. Alec admired the way Magnus’ tail feathers fanned out beneath him, the scarlet of the plumage a beautiful contrast to the brown and green hues of the rainforest around them.

Releasing a breath, he cricked his neck slightly and relented, pushing into a dive following Magnus’ previous path downwards. From above him he heard a jubilant caw over the rush of air flowing around his wings. His heart flipped in his chest as the adrenaline kicked in, the ground rushing up towards him. He pushed back his fear and his doubts, concentrating on his movements and speed as the gap between him and the ground closed up. Sucking in a deep breath, he pulled out of the dive at the very last moment, tilting his wings to push forward, perpendicular to the ground. He was still carrying much of the speed he’d gained in the dive, he allowed that momentum to continue as he darted between the trunks of the trees. The rainforest whipped past him at lightspeed, the colours blurring as he arched his wings once more, tilting until one wing was pointing straight towards the sky, the other wing tip just barely dragging along the ground. A fern tickled at the feathers on his belly as he cut past it, causing a small giggle to bubble to burst from his beak.

Magnus’ answering laugh was close enough to make Alec jump. He beat his wings slightly to lift himself higher, slowing to a gentler pace before coming to land on the branch of a nearby tree. He leaned against the trunk of the tree, breath coming in pants as his heart rate slowed.

Magnus landed next to him, the colourful bird’s eyes alight with joy.

“You’re a beautiful flier Alexander.”

“Thanks, I’d never normally move like that.”

“I wouldn’t believe it. That was incredibly graceful. Now is there some water nearby? I could use a drink!” Magnus’ head tilted again in question. He was proving to be one of the most expressive birds Alec had ever met.

He pondered for a moment, wondering if taking Magnus to his favourite spot in the rainforest was a wise move. For one, it was his place to go to think. For another, it could be argued to be quite romantic and so far, while coming across as very playful, Magnus hadn’t done anything to suggest that he was interested in more than just a friend to fly with. But it really was the most beautiful place in the whole rainforest, at least to Alec. And they would be able to get a drink.

A nudge to his wing made him snap out of his spiralling thoughts. Magnus probably already thought he was a complete oddball. It wasn’t like he could make himself seem any weirder? And so he made a decision...

“Come with me, I know just the place.”

He pushed off from the branch, choosing to break through the canopy of the trees. The place he had in mind wasn’t far away but they would get there quicker without the obstacle of trees. Plus it was a beautiful day, the sun high in the sky surrounded by fluffy white clouds.

Alec made a beeline for their destination but Magnus seemed more intent to play around. Zig zagging across Alec’s path, cutting him up and darting round him with giggles until Alec relented and joined in.

Darting up and over Magnus, he went to loop around him, but the other bird caught wind of his plan and joined him in his loop. They chased each other round and round in vertical circles, cresting high towards the sky before darting back to the treetops, until they were both laughing dizzily.

Alec was the first to relent. Catching a current of wind, he allowed himself to relax and stretching his wings wide, he let the warm air support him. Magnus joined him, stretching out alongside him until his wing tip grazed against Alec’s causing a spark of electricity to shoot through the feathers where they touched.

They rode the current in silence for a few moments, both content to just catch their breaths and enjoy the view as the rainforest passed by below them.

It was only when Magnus sucked in a deep, rasping breath that Alec remembered where they were heading. He looked around for a moment, trying to get his bearings from the sea of green below him. The main river cut through the trees far over to the right giving Alec a focal point to direct himself, but that wasn’t actually where Alec wanted to take his new companion.

“Still with me?” he asked, glancing at the majestic bird flying beside him.

At Magnus’ answering nod, he pushed through his tail feathers to angle his body down and break out of the current. Keeping the river at his right wingtip, he flew on. Occasionally he’d let himself fall into a dive, almost reaching the trees before tilting back up and beating his wings furiously to accelerate straight towards the sun. Magnus was right, flying really was something he should enjoy more.

Eventually, the rainforest began to lighten below them and Alec began to cruise lower and lower until they were back under the canopy of the trees. Beneath them, a tributary flowed to the river. They followed it upstream, the water below them coursing over rocks and under ferns, bubbling around obstacles. The waterway widened into a dark blue body of water, a small waterfall rushing over a ledge of rocks to create bright rainbows in the spray as it connected with the surface of the pool.

Alec came to land on the rocky edge of the pool, watching as Magnus flew in slow circles, just over the surface of the water. After a couple of laps, his beautiful new friend came to land beside him.

“This place is incredible. How did you find it?” he asked, quiet voice filled with awe.

“I was on a scouting mission when we first arrived in the area, reaching out to nearby flocks to make our presence known and ensure there wouldn’t be any trouble with us making our home here. I stumbled on this place. Ever since, it’s been where I come to think. I never told anyone about it. Until you that is.” He buried his head under his wing, suddenly embarrassed to have revealed to someone who was still practically a stranger that he’d bought him somewhere so personal.

Magnus moved until he was perched in front of Alec, his talons clicking across the rocks. He pushed his wing under Alec’s, applying pressure until the other bird relented, unfurling the blue and yellow feathers slightly so he could peer at his face.

“Alexander?” he questioned.

“Sorry, that was probably coming on too strong.” Alec mumbled, trying once more to bury his head under his wing.

Magnus continued to apply pressure, the strength of his slightly larger wing winning out and leaving Alec nowhere to hide.

“Alexander, you were trying to come on to me?”

“No. Yes? I don’t know.” Alec shook his wing free from Magnus’ ruffling up the feathers in agitation. “You’re really pretty,” he offered, shyly pulling his wings tight to his body as if to protect himself from the words he’s let slip out.

Magnus preened at the compliment, “Thank you darling. Though next to you, I’m nothing.”

Alec blinked in confusion. How could this beautiful bird, with the vibrant feathers and kind eyes possibly think that of himself?

“Now how about that drink?” Magnus gestured with his wing.

They spent the rest of the afternoon having fun, darting in and out of the waterfall and chasing each other through the air, diving and looping around trees and skimming their talons through the surface of the water. By the end of it, they both collapsed in a heap on the floor, wings spread wide and chests heaving with laughter.

Magnus pushed himself onto his side, reaching over to brush his wing over Alec’s. “I really enjoyed today Alexander. I’d very much like to do this again sometime, if that’s something you’d be interested in?”

“Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

~~~

That evening, as he was introducing the fledglings to the dangers of night flying in the jungle, he thought back on the day he’d shared with Magnus and vowed to not let anyone else be brought up to believe that flying was only for duty. He’d make sure that over the coming weeks he introduced the fledglings to the sheer joy that soaring through the air could bring.

**Author's Note:**

> Please don’t come at me with any David Attenborough levels of knowledge on macaws… I have no idea how to describe birds in flight (or apparently how birds function in general) and I don’t actually know how wind currents work so i took a lot of artistic liberties I’m sure. But I’m purely vibing on nonsense here. I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride…
> 
> If you’re interested in knowing what birds I picked for them both… Magnus is written as a scarlet macaw and Alec is written as a blue & yellow macaw, thanks Google 😉
> 
> A huge shout out to the amazing Spark for not only cheerleading this and encouraging me to embrace my crack tendencies but also taking it upon herself to forever immortalise Macaw!Malec with her wonderful art - she’s my fave! You can find her art on [Tumblr](https://spark-draws.tumblr.com/) and you should definitely check out all her other incredible creations!
> 
> You can find me on Twitter  if this kind of insanity is your thing.
> 
> Want to chat to other Malec fans? Come hang out in the [Malec Discord Server](https://discord.gg/5nBgEp8)!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this!  
> Lex 💛💛💛


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